Controversies Surrounding Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown started her professional acting career in 2013 at the age of nine. For her first gig, Brown played Young Alice in "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland," but that's not where most people first met the young actor. Brown became a household name in 2016 when she debuted as Eleven in Netflix's smash hit from the Duffer Brothers, "Stranger Things." As Eleven, Brown launched a meteoric rise to worldwide fame, and with that recognition came some controversy, and it has surrounded Brown ever since.
It's not unusual for a popular celebrity to court some controversy, and Brown is no exception. Still, she stands out more than any of her "Stranger Things" co-stars, and the increased media attention highlighted aspects of her life and personality many found unusual or even dangerous. Of course, like many celebrities, not every controversy surrounding Brown is her fault, and some are entirely fabricated, but that doesn't mean they don't stick.
Leading up to and since Brown turned 18, she's been the subject of unwanted sexual attention, which only complicated the other controversies in her life. Unfortunately, the over-sexualization of female celebrities is nothing new, and despite being so young, Brown handled it better than most. With that and the other controversies surrounding Brown, she's managed to build up an impressive career that's only beginning. These are the controversies she's been the subject of since walking onto the world stage at the age of 12.
An unscripted kiss in Enola Holmes 2 turned heads
Millie Bobby Brown's break into feature films began with a high-profile gig in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," and the following year, she played the eponymous lead in "Enola Holmes." Brown followed this with two sequels: "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "Enola Holmes 2," which promises to be the second in a planned trilogy of films centered around her title character. It was during the filming of "Enola Holmes 2" that Brown stirred up some controversy.
In the film, Louis Partridge plays Enola Holmes' love interest, and in one scene, they share an impromptu and passionate kiss. Brown revealed in an interview with Netflix that the kiss wasn't scripted, and she did it in the moment, taking her co-star by surprise. She called Partridge's stunned reaction "so cute," noting how seeing a girl "make the first move is also just really exciting," and explained how, in the scene, she punches him and because Partridge is such a good friend, she kept hitting him until he asked her to stop.
Brown's comments stirred controversy, leading professional intimacy coordinator Jessica Steinrock to post a rebuttal video to TikTok with the caption, "Consent is mandatory. We don't need to surprise kiss; we don't need to actually hit." Steinrock explained that Partridge's surprised reaction was evidence of the need for consent and comments under Netflix's video show that most fans felt the same way. It's likely Brown's "cute" story wouldn't have been perceived as such had their roles been reversed.
Her desire to leave Stranger Things in the rearview upset fans
There's a reason people know who Millie Bobby Brown is, and it's "Stranger Things." After appearing in the first season, doors opened for Brown, and the series built her career. Of course, she's demonstrated her talents elsewhere and will continue to do so long after the Duffer Brothers bring "Stranger Things" to a close, but that doesn't make it any less important in the young actor's life. She seemingly forgot this during a 2023 interview with Glamour.
Brown likened the end of "Stanger Things" with its fifth season to graduating high school, saying, "When you're ready, you're like, 'All right, let's do this. Let's tackle this last senior year. Let's get out of here.' 'Stranger Things' takes up a lot of time to film, and it's preventing me from creating stories that I'm passionate about. So I'm ready to say, 'Thank you, and goodbye.'" Plenty of actors leave series early or are happy to see them end so they can pursue other projects, but Brown's fans didn't appreciate her comment.
Fans slammed Brown on Twitter with some writing that she's not grateful for the role that made her famous, while others pointed out how unwise it is to bash your employer. Despite her comments to Glamour, Brown told Seventeen, "I'm very ready to say goodbye to this chapter in my life and open new ones up. I'm able to create stories myself that are important to me and focus on the bigger picture. But I'm really grateful [for the show]."
Her friendship with Drake worries some fans
Fame tends to open doors, and behind some are other celebrities. It's not uncommon for people to meet one another at awards shows or other events and strike up a friendship, and while this is common with child actors, it can lead to some problematic pairings. In Millie Bobby Brown's case, fans routinely express concern over her friendship with Drake, who was 31 when he met the 14-year-old actor in 2017. They struck up a friendship and often texted one another or visited whenever possible.
Upon learning of their friendship, fans took to Reddit and elsewhere to express concern. In one Reddit post, someone points out how inappropriate it is due to the age of Drake's then-rumored girlfriend, who was only four years older than Brown. During a red-carpet interview with Access Hollywood, Brown said, "I love him ... he's honestly a great friend and a great role model ... We just texted each other the other day, and he was like, 'I miss you so much,' and I was like, 'I miss you more,' he's great."
Grooming comes up in online discussions about Drake and Brown's relationship, so it's controversial. Despite this, according to both parties, they truly are nothing more than friends. Drake gives Brown advice about all kinds of things, and she sees him as a friend and role model. When Brown learned of her fans' concern, she wrote on her Instagram, "Why [you] gotta make a lovely friendship a headline?" (via Vanity Fair).
She's was a flat Earther for a bit
Despite all the evidence, there are people out there who believe the world is flat. Many are likely trolls online more than anything else, but for whatever reason, flat Earthers exist in the 21st century. This doesn't usually come up in celebrity interviews, but in a 2018 livestream, Millie Bobby Brown effectively came out as a flat Earther. After a fan asked if she believed the world was flat, she said she'd recently watched a video by YouTuber Shane Dawson covering the theory — it's important to note Brown was 14 at the time.
"Guys, there are so many facts that it's flat. I mean, think about it, like think about it, okay. Guys, I don't even know; I think I am a – what do they call it? Um. A flat – I think they call it a flat Earther" (via Unilad). That pretty much summed it up, and from that point forward, Brown fit snugly into the flat Earther category. Four years later, during a lie detector interview with Vanity Fair, she addressed her previous comments, which were measured as truthful.
Brown denied being a flat Earther, and while she looked uncomfortable, she went on to say she'd been in airplanes but never saw the curvature of the Earth with her own eyes. Ultimately, believing the Earth is flat isn't the biggest controversy a person can have in their life, and for the most part, it's blown over for Brown since her lie detector test interview.
Some folks didn't appreciate that her book was ghost-written
Millie Bobby Brown published a novel in 2023 called "Nineteen Steps." The book is a work of historical fiction centered around a woman living in London during WWII. Brown did what all writers of high-profile novels must do: launch a promotional tour, travel around doing signings, and meet with fans. Unlike most new writers, Brown's place in the entertainment industry meant she already had a fanbase set and ready to receive her, which put quite a few people off because Brown didn't write "Nineteen Steps."
Brown used a ghostwriter, Kathleen McGurl, to write the novel, and while that's not entirely unheard of, some fans took offense to the cover, which prominently displays Brown's name as the author. When British book retail giant Waterstones posted about a signing event with Brown on X, formerly known as Twitter, it didn't take long for folks to come out swinging at the "Stranger Things" star. One user posted, "Beyond bizarre. 'Come to our shop, meet a famous girl from the TV, buy a book she didn't write and she'll sign it for you.'"
They went on to suggest she could sign a sandwich and walk into the store with a massive crowd, whereas "real writers" don't get similar treatment. Despite the controversy, Brown did take part in writing the novel, which is based on her family history. She worked with McGurl throughout the writing process, sending research, ideas, and more via Zoom calls and other means.
She was in an unhealthy relationship with Hunter Echo Ecimovic
Like many celebrities, Millie Bobby Brown's love life is tabloid fodder and has been since she became a public figure. While it's common for a celeb's dating life to make news, Brown's partners' ages often raise eyebrows as fans raise concerns online. A perfect example of this is her friendship with Drake, but while that's not a romantic pairing, her time with Hunter "Echo" Ecimovic was, and their relationship came under scrutiny after Ecimovic posted some disturbing claims during an Instagram Live session.
Ecimovic posted pictures of the two kissing on his now-deactivated Instagram account, leading fans to speculate about their relationship. In his live video, the TikToker went into explicit detail about Brown, and a plethora of red flags rose all over the Internet. In the since-deleted video, Ecimovic, who was 21 at the time, claimed he "groomed" Brown, who was 17. Because it was a live stream, Ecimovic confronted the comments of concerned viewers in real-time, insisting he had nothing to apologize for.
The whole thing blew up, and Brown became the subject of another controversy. Brown's team spoke with the Daily Mail, insisting that "Mr. Ecimovic's remarks on social media are not only dishonest but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful." Ecimovic ultimately apologized, saying, "I am sorry for doing that live stream; I should have ended it the moment it started getting bad. But I chose not to" (via The US Sun). Brown eventually discussed the incident with Allure explaining she was publicly humiliated.
She dumped social media after becoming the victim of a meme attack
Memes are a part of the Internet, and for better or worse, they aren't going anywhere. While most memes fit snugly into the humor category, not all of them do, and Millie Bobby Brown discovered this the hard way when she found herself in another controversy. Unlike other controversies, she had nothing whatsoever to do with this one. Still, because it targeted her, Brown opted to dump her social media, thanks to the "Millie Bobby Brown is homophobic" meme.
You may have seen it or one of its many derivations — all of which are hateful and entirely fabricated. It all started when Brown was 14, and someone posted the following on X: "I saw Millie Bobby Brown in the airport and asked for a pic, and she said 'only if you remove the hijab,' and I said 'it's my faith' and she aggressively pulled it off my head and stamped it on it" (via Glamour). This never happened, but it was merely the beginning of claims of Brown's purported homophobia.
People shared bogus stories about Brown hating on them for being LGBTQIA+, and it only got worse from there. Brown became the target of Internet trolls and bullies, forcing her to delete X from her phone. Her choice to step away from social media is understandable, given the hateful memes pestering her at the time. Brown is a public supporter and advocate of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Together movement, so claims of homophobia were entirely unfounded.
She was sexualized long before maturing into adulthood
Young celebs sometimes find themselves sexualized by the media and fans before reaching maturity, and Millie Bobby Brown wasn't immune to this. Since hitting the world stage at a young age, people sexualized her in nearly every creepy way possible, and it didn't end when she turned 18 — it only worsened. Brown's problems began when she was 12, and various comments online targeted her character from "Stranger Things" or were directed at her, though things got worse when she turned 16.
On her 16th birthday, Brown posted a video to her Instagram, showing a montage of her rise to fame while calling out the media's sexualized coverage of her since first appearing in "Stranger Things." The post's caption read in part, "The last few years haven't been easy," which she attributed to the "inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me." Two years later, Brown gave a similar birthday update.
While talking on "The Guilty Feminist" podcast, Brown discussed the sexualized comments online, saying, "I have definitely been dealing with that more in the last couple of weeks of turning 18." Brown expanded on this, saying her experience is "A good representation of what's going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized. I have been dealing with that — but I have also been dealing with that forever." She also explained that she no longer posts anything personal: "You get to see the things I choose to put out in the world."
She was called out for faking her skincare routine
Millie Bobby Brown became incredibly famous after debuting as Eleven in "Stranger Things," which opened all kinds of doors. Unfortunately, one of those doors hid an angry mob of people online who came out swinging for the young actor after she posted a video on Instagram in 2019 showing her skincare routine. Brown was 15 at the time, and her video showed how she applied a face mist followed by a scrub.
Brown followed this by applying a moisturizer and lip oil, and on the surface, the video was innocent enough. Still, Brown ultimately deleted it following a ton of backlash online. Fans pointed out that Brown was already wearing makeup in the video and didn't apply any directly to her face. The online reactions included people buying and destroying Florence by Mills products, which is the brand Brown used in the video.
According to The Tab, some fans didn't know why they jumped on the Florence by Mills ban-wagon, but that didn't stop a lot of wonton makeup destruction. The incident died down after a bit but found new life in 2022 after Brown posted a similar makeup tutorial accompanied by two pictures. These days, Brown focuses her makeup energy on her own brand of Florence by Mills beauty products designed with the Gen-Z market in mind. She developed the products with the company in late 2017 and 2018, and thus far, they've been devoid of controversy.
Her dad nearly derailed her career due to financial problems
When Millie Bobby Brown exploded in popularity following her "Stranger Things" debut, her father, Robert "Bobby" Brown, tried to cash in on her success. Because she was only 12 at the time, Bobby controlled all of his daughter's finances, and when it came to signing her to an agency, he tried to make some money. The Hollywood Reporter found that Bobby asked for $100,000 upfront to sign his daughter, and while that's not illegal, it's certainly unorthodox.
Bobby's representative confirmed Bobby's request for a cash payment but stipulated he did so after receiving "Ill advice from someone outside the industry that was said in jest." Whether this is true or not doesn't matter because Bobby's actions jeopardized his daughter's budding career. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bobby explained how much the family sacrificed to make his daughter's career a reality. Bobby explained that they uprooted the entire family from England to Florida but had to move back when they ran out of money.
The move created a significant financial hardship for the family, which Bobby hoped to remedy via the $100,000 signing fee. During this time, the family took loans from Millie's UK manager while she landed minor walk-on roles on series like "Modern Family" and "NCIS" before the family gained financial stability once more. Soon after the $100K situation died down, Millie signed with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) for representation while maintaining management with Affirmative Management.
Some have called her rude for talking over her co-stars
Of all the controversies surrounding Millie Bobby Brown, the one that seems to stick to her the most centers around her perceived attitude and rude behavior during interviews. It's not uncommon for more than one person involved in a project to sit for an interview, and Brown spends plenty of time beside her co-stars answering questions. Unfortunately, she has a penchant for interrupting her co-stars while they're talking, and Brown tends to dominate and take over the conversation.
Fans pay attention to this, and it's not difficult to find compilations of videos of Brown interrupting her co-stars. This happens so often it's stirred controversy for Brown, as many perceive her as being incredibly rude. After an interview alongside David Harbour, who plays Hopper on "Stranger Things," Brown was widely criticized for making faces and interrupting him while he was complimenting her acting ability and personality. In another instance, during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Brown offended Colbert by making a disgusted face after he licked a pen.
These are two examples of Brown's many interactions with her co-stars and other people in the media. During red-carpet interviews, she often breaks into a conversation other people are having and interrupts or takes over. Brown even criticized the Duffer Brothers' writing (via TheWrap), suggesting they didn't know how to kill off characters properly. Ultimately, these incidents built up the perception that Brown is rude, and since they keep happening, that perception isn't likely to change.